Alfred awoke in his modest hut, greeted by a thin layer of frost covering the wooden floor beneath him. The frigid air seeped through the cracks in the walls, causing him to shiver beneath his thick, black cloak.
With a groan, he sat up, his breath forming misty clouds in the chilly room. The young man was filled with awe as he realized that his recent battle wounds had miraculously healed.
His newly acquired Shrouded Armor set lay neatly folded at the edge of his bed, gleaming softly in the pale moonlight that filtered through the single, grimy window. He reached for it, running his fingers along the smooth, dark leather, and began to don each piece, feeling the armor mold itself perfectly to his frame as if it were a second skin.
Once fully equipped, Alfred stood, his boots making a soft, muffled sound as they met the frosty floor. The youth fastened the cloak around his neck, its enchantments quickly warding off the biting cold. The night outside was dark, with the moon hanging low in the sky, casting an eerie, silvery glow over the slums.
With a deep breath, Alfred pushed open the creaky wooden door and stepped outside. The cold air hit him like a physical force, but he welcomed it. The slums were eerily quiet in the dead of night, a stark contrast to their daytime commotion.
The youngster's boots crunched on the frozen dirt path as he navigated through the narrow alleyways, his breath forming fleeting clouds in the frigid air. Alfred watched as his warm breath mixed with the cold, creating a foggy haze around his face.
The slum dwellers were mostly asleep, their huts dark and silent. A boy shifted through the maze-like streets, the moonlight casting long, ghostly shadows from the ramshackle buildings. It was a lonely, desolate world he traversed, but the youth was determined to test his newfound abilities and equipment in the stillness of the night.
Alfred cloaked in the Novice Cloak of Invisibility, moved like a ghost through the cold night air. The slum's desolate streets and dimly lit alleys were his playground as he put his newfound abilities to the test.
First, the child activated his "Rush" skill, transforming into an incorporeal shadow that darted across the rooftops with incredible speed. He leaped from one building to another, covering distances of up to a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. The sensation of moving like a phantom thrilled him.
However, the youngster remained unaware of how he had acquired this skill. Unfortunately, his transmigration hadn’t come with a manual, so he had to test things and hope that it would all become clear in the end.
As he landed gracefully on a rooftop, Alfred began testing his magic spells. He started with "Accelerate," a Novice-level spell the boy had been honing. Focusing his energy, the youth felt a surge of power propelling him forward. The world blurred around him as Alfred jumped from one rooftop to another, pushing his speed to the limit.
The youngster then decided to experiment with "Scorch," another Novice-level spell. He conjured a fireball in his palm, controlling its size with the intensity of his focus. Alfred hurled the fireball high into the air, creating a pillar of light in the dead of night. Using both hands, he summoned a larger fireball and watched it dance with fiery brilliance before him.
The thrill of using his abilities made him unaware of the looming fatigue from overuse.
To further assess his capabilities, Alfred cast the "Illusio" spell, an Apprentice-level illusion. With a wave of his hand, the youth created a mild illusion that distorted the appearance of the rooftop beneath him. While it might not fool everyone, it was enough to provide cover in a pinch, especially against those with weaker wills.
Alfred reveled in the thrill of his newfound skills and spells, knowing that they would be essential on his journey ahead. With each rooftop jump, spell cast, and illusion, he felt himself growing more confident and prepared for the challenges that awaited him in this mysterious world.
......
Exhausted from the intense testing of skills and spells, Alfred found himself gasping for breath as his Mana and Shakti were completely depleted. The youngster leaned against the edge of a rooftop, panting heavily, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath. The cold night air felt harsh against his sweat-soaked skin.
As he caught his breath, Alfred's eyes scanned the dimly lit slum below. In the distance, amidst the ramshackle huts, he spotted a figure that stood out like a beacon of beauty amidst the squalor. It was a woman, her graceful silhouette contrasting with the rugged surroundings. Intrigued, Alfred's curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to investigate.
With the aid of his Spirit Novice Cloak of Invisibility and the Spirit Novice Shrouded Armor Set, Alfred moved silently. His footsteps barely made a sound as the youth approached the woman who was holding something concealed beneath her cloak. Her gait seemed unsteady as she made her way toward an abandoned-looking hut.
With heightened senses, Alfred followed her stealthily, approaching the hut. Using his equipment and honed agility, he reached a nearby window and crouched low, listening attentively to the conversation taking place inside.
The voices belonged to the beautiful woman, whom he now recognized as Lily from Lianfu’s harem and another female worker who sounded unwell. They spoke in hushed tones, their words carrying a note of concern and compassion. Lily had brought food for the sick woman, who had no one else to care for her.
In passing, Lily mentioned the Shadowguard's visit to the whorehouse, and Alfred's heart skipped a beat. He strained to hear more, his ears pricking up as they hung on to every word. The conversation held the potential for crucial information about the dangers that might be closing in on him, a single detail couldn't be missed.
"I was so scared!" cried Lily as she nestled into the bosom of her sick friend.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, they won't hurt you. You did as they said," the woman reassured her.
"But by the time they came back, he was already gone!" the sobbing beauty replied hysterically.
"The Shadowguard has probably already found him. You don't need to worry, my dear. There's not a needle they can't find in the entire Shadow Peaks Territory," the woman marveled.
Alfred heard enough, he knew Lily was talking about him. The youngster went to visit the whore house earlier that day, they must be after him for killing Lianfu. Worse, they could find out he stole the talisman.
Fear coursing through his veins, Alfred knew he needed to return to the safety of his hut as quickly as possible. The depletion of his Mana and Shakti had left him powerless, and he couldn't rely on his abilities for the moment. Though the boy's journey back was slow and arduous, he moved with the utmost stealth, determined not to attract any unwanted attention.
......
The path back to his hut was long, and the night was eerily quiet. Alfred's heightened senses picked up on every faint sound—the distant hush of the wind, the chirping of crickets, and the occasional rustle of leaves. His instincts warned him of impending danger, and he felt like a hunted animal, desperate to reach safety.
As he neared his hut, however, Alfred noticed something strange and unsettling. The vicinity that had once been a peaceful residential neighborhood was now teeming with unfamiliar characters. Homeless individuals, beggars, and intoxicated drunks had taken over the area, their presence starkly contrasting with the usual calm.
If this were during the late afternoon, the youth wouldn't have felt such discomfort. While there was nothing wrong with the demeanor of the slum dwellers near his home, their number and the time of night spoke volumes.
Alfred's instincts screamed at him that something was amiss. He couldn't ignore the ominous atmosphere that hung in the air. The boy's hut, his sanctuary, was no longer safe, and he needed to make a quick decision. His heart pounding, the youth opted to change course and head in a different direction, hoping to elude whatever threat lay ahead.
The youngster's intuition was proven correct when, just moments later, he found himself ambushed. A shadowy figure lunged at him, and he narrowly dodged the attack. It was one of the Shadow guards—they had finally caught up to him.
As Alfred stepped back in a hasty retreat, a hand shot out toward his face. He was instantly grabbed, caught off guard. The boy fell into shock, aghast at the shadowy figure looming over him.
No skill nor spell in Alfred's arsenal could currently be used; the child was spent and knew he was surrounded despite only seeing one enemy before him. The young Vesperan took a chance and faced his foe, pulling out his hidden dagger.
If he didn’t finish this quickly, it wouldn’t bode well for Alfred. It was uncertain if he could defeat this single foe, let alone all the shadowy figures closing in on him from the distance. Alfred took a gamble and lunged the blade at the man’s wrist.
Fortunately, the young man's opponent happened to be a new cadet of the Shadowguard. Although he wasn’t weak, compared to the higher-level members, the man was relatively inexperienced and less skilled.
This played in Alfred's favor. With his extensive arsenal of martial arts techniques and his new, smaller but efficient frame, he feinted to make the shadowy figure pull back before sprinting in the opposite direction.
"When in doubt, sprint it out," the youth chuckled to himself, not a hint of shame in his decision to flee from his adversaries.
The man dressed in black was taken aback and quickly gave chase, but it was already too late. Alfred had already made the first turn before the shadowy figure could catch up. Although Alfred the boy lacked his usual abilities, his cloak and armor made the night his playground.
The man was by no means slower than Alfred, but Alfred's speed allowed him to reach the nearest turn quickly. As soon as his pursuer lost sight of him, Alfred found cover and held his breath, remaining completely still to conceal his presence.
The hooded figure dashed past the youth's hiding spot without a second thought, clearly not expecting such cunning from the young boy. Soon after, more hooded figures, homeless individuals, and intoxicated individuals hurriedly passed by his hiding place.
Alfred observed the chaotic scene in tense silence. His heart pounded in his chest, and he fought desperately to calm it, well aware that getting caught was not an option. The child's life and freedom hung in the balance.
As the last of the figures disappeared into the distance, and the night once again embraced silence, Alfred cautiously emerged from his concealment.
The half-pint fixed his determined gaze in the opposite direction, where the imposing Territory wall and the western Gate loomed. He knew remaining in the slums was not an option, not with his limited strength. Having identified the pursuers as the Shadowguard, Alfred was acutely aware of the danger closing in on him. Escape was his only option, and it lay beyond those walls.
While life beyond the walls of Shadow Peaks held uncertainty, it was a far more favorable prospect than the alternative. With each audacious leap and meticulously calculated twist, Alfred drew nearer to the colossal walls that loomed before him.
His pursuers were still scouring the area where they had last spotted him, unaware that the boy was now crouched on a rooftop, his gaze fixed on the vigilant guards stationed at the western gate.
